A top Chechen rebel leader, Doku Umarov, has called for Islamist radicals in Russia’s North Caucasus to attack the Winter Olympic Games being held in Sochi in February.
Sochi, a resort town by the Black Sea, is scheduled to host the event. Russia President Vladimir Putin has taken an active, hands-on approach to preparing for the games.
Umarov made his plea public in a video posted on a militant Internet site. In the video, he calls for the Islamists to “do their utmost to derail” the games, The Associated Press reported. He also called the games “satanic dances on the bones of our ancestors.”
Political and military analysts have seized on the video to issue yet another warning about the games. They’ve been saying for weeks that the insurgency movement in the North Caucasus mountain region nearby Sochi is a certain threat to those who attend the games.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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